***
“I don’t think anyone’s coming to our bike wash stand.” Bridger’s little button nose scrunched up, and he aimed the hose at the sky, sending a ten-foot high stream upwards with his thumb pressed on the sprayer button. It sprinkled Jay’s shirt and the lawn as it came down.
“Well, it is getting close to dinner-time, buddy.”
“Can we wait for one more customer, Uncle Jay?”
Jay glanced back at the house. His sister, Shannon, was watching them through the kitchen window. She held up a hand, her fingers spread apart.
“Five more minutes, Bridger. I think we need to hold up the sign, maybe march around a little to get some attention from the neighborhood.”
“Yeah!” Bridger dropped the hose and ran over to their makeshift sign, a computer box with a poster board attached to the front. Bridger hefted it up above his head and started running back and forth from the mailbox to the driveway. “Free bike wash! Get your free bike wash!”
Jay tried not to laugh. All that effort, and no audience.
A car turned the corner, and Jay picked up Bridger, box and all, before the little guy could run out into the street to announce his business plan.
“Bike wash!” they both shouted.
The blue sedan belonged to their across-the-street neighbor, Mrs. White, and she waved before pulling into her garage. She came out a minute later and crossed the street to say hello, her fluffy white hair bouncing around her shoulders.
“Bridger, I don’t have a bike for you to wash, but my kitchen garbage can could use a good cleaning. Want to wash it out for me?”
“Uh-huh. I’ll do a good job.” He squirmed in Jay’s arms and Jay let him down to follow Mrs. White into her house. A minute later, he hauled her plastic can outside and across the street to their lawn.
Mrs. White followed. “A bike wash. You two always have something exciting going on.” She leaned over to whisper in Jay’s ear. “Don’t let the mayor catch you watering on the wrong day.”
Jay rolled his eyes. “Heaven forbid. But it is after four p.m. so I think we’re safe from getting fined. Today anyway.”
“Did I do a good job?” Bridger asked, looking up at them. The plastic can was half-way filled with water, and Jay picked it up and took it over to water the bushes.
“Excellent. Much better. Thank you, Bridger.” Mrs. White patted his shoulder.
Shannon rapped on the window, waving to Mrs. White before motioning for Jay and Bridger to come in.
Jay wished his sister would come out and join them occasionally, give the neighbors more than a wave, but she rarely did. Shannon had always been shy, but now it was more than that. Seven-year-old Bridger was her whole world, and she seemed to prefer it that way.
Living with Jay allowed her to provide Bridger with a father-figure, and except for work, she didn’t go out at all, except to grocery shop.
Mrs. White took her garbage can home, and Jay coiled up the hose before zooming Bridger into the house and over to the kitchen sink to wash his hands.
“What’s for dinner, Mom?”
Shannon’s eyes narrowed, though there was a hint of a smile on her face. “Food.”
It was their favorite joke, and Bridger never got tired of asking.
They sat down to a spicy pasta dish that was amazing, as usual. Shannon loved to cook and never held back on ingredients or spices when it came to Bridger. The kid had no concept of picky eating.
“Uncle Jay, can we do a lemonade stand on Saturday?”
“I wish. I’ll be at wedding stuff all day, kiddo.”
“All day?” Bridger wrinkled his nose. “Why does it take all day to get weddinged?”
“Get married,” Jay corrected. “It just does. They have all their family and friends there and they want to celebrate.” Jay glanced at Shannon as she dug into her pasta with a little more intensity than necessary. What he did for a living only dredged up bad memories for her. Their parents had spent twenty-five thousand dollars on her wedding, and the marriage only lasted two months.
The only good that came of it was Bridger.
